The Runaway
by Despy
Summary: Determined not to become a tavern wench, a girl named Toki decides to take her fate into her own hands. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday she disguises herself as a Fire Nation boy and runs away from everything she has ever known. After landing a job on an old warship, she is hoping to make it to the next port without incident, but fate had something different in mind. [ZukoxOc]
1. Chapter 1

**I took this story down a while back because I was disappointed with what I had done. I feel like I had a great idea, but it was very poorly executed. It was too rushed and I left a lot of the story unwritten because I was trying speed through and put out chapters as quickly as possible. **

**So here is the rewrite. Done correctly, how I had originally intended for it to be.**

**Please let me know what you think.**  
**~•~•~•~**

Toki sighed as she sat in the middle of her bedroom staring at herself in the mirror. The single candle she was allowed cast just enough light to illuminate the tiny, closet sized room so she could see. She gripped the rusted kitchen knife in her hand as she second guessed what she was considering doing.

It was the eve of her sixteenth birthday. Tomorrow she would be considered an adult. She would be expected to start her new "service job", which was code for selling her body to whatever drunken slime ball paid the right price. Toki refused to sink so low that she would resort to selling herself for survival. She had decided a long time ago that when she came to this point in her life, she would rather die than play into Goro's twisted plan.

Toki lifted the knife, candle light glinting off of the rusty blade, and smirked. Before she had a chance to chicken out, she grabbed a chunk of her hair and quickly sliced through it. She stared at the bunch of long brown hair in her hand for a moment before dropping it to the floor and setting to work on chopping off the rest. When Toki was finished she looked at herself in the mirror again. All that remained of the beautiful silky hair that framed her face since she was a child was a short and shaggy, brown mop.

She got to her feet and pulled her tattered old dress over her head and tossed it aside. She dusted away the stray hairs that clung to her shoulders and tickled her, then moved over to her bed and pulled a bundle of red clothes from under her mattress. She had managed to swipe some clothes from a young fire nation soldier a few weeks ago during laundry duty for the inn. He was so busy getting drunk at the tavern and ogling the women that he never even realized they were gone. She unfolded the clothes and pulled out a very long strip of cloth that was folded neatly inside the bundle. Toki wrapped the cloth around her chest tightly, effectively hiding what little breasts she did have, then dressed in the stolen fire nation clothes.

Toki allowed herself one last look in the mirror and blinked in surprise when she could hardly recognize herself. She wasn't Toki anymore. Her plain features, lightly tanned skin, and hazel eyes provided her with a unique opportunity. She could be anyone she wanted to be. She could say she was from anywhere and no one would ever question it, since she didn't have any defining characteristics that labeled her as belonging to any one nation.

When she was satisfied with her disguise, she pulled her small bag of supplies from under her bed and slipped out through the window. With practiced ease she shimmied down the side of the building and the moment her boots hit the dirt she was sprinting away from the tavern and inn as fast as she could.

She ran until she was out of town, then slowed to a more comfortable pace as she searched for somewhere safe she could sleep for a while. She was headed toward the next town over, a port town that had recently come under fire nation control, and she wanted to be well rested so she could be prepared for anything. She came across a secluded spot just off the main road that looked safe enough and settled down against a tree. She closed her eyes and thought about her plan for what felt like the millionth time. She just needed to pretend she was from the colonies and get herself hired onto a ship's crew. That should be easy enough since she had disguised herself as a boy. Sure there were plenty of women in the fire nation army, but they were trained soldiers. Toki wasn't fool enough to think she would have a chance at getting a job as an untrained civilian girl. Not to mention the dangers of being a girl on a ship full of men. That alone was reason enough to pretend to be a boy. Once she was onboard a ship she just needed to keep a low profile until they stopped at a mainland port where she could slip away unnoticed and finally start a new life.

Toki jolted awake, not realizing she had even fallen asleep, and winced as the sun shined brightly in her eyes. With a sigh she pushed herself to her feet and continued her journey towards the fire nation port. It was around mid day when she finally arrived and she gawked at the ammount of red before her. Red tents, red flags, even the red clothes worn by all the soldiers, Toki had never seen so much red in all of her life. She cleared her throat and composed herself, not wanting to make it obvious that she didn't belong here, then walked into the town with determination.

Lieutenant Jee grumbled to himself as he received probably the twentieth rejection of the day. After their adventure in the south pole they had to release a couple of crew members due to injury, and as luck would have it Prince Zuko had picked a fight with commander Zhao and gotten them blacklisted before he had a chance to fill the positions. He had been through the entire port and all but begged the local captains to spare a man or two and received a string of rejections. They hadn't been too kind in their rejection either, making it very clear what they thought of him, the prince, and their mission. Jee sighed and mentally prepared himself for the long journey ahead of them with a shorthanded crew. The men weren't going to be happy about this. Jee was so consumed with his thoughts that he didn't notice someone, who was also completely distracted, walking directly in his path.

"Hey, watch where you're going" Jee snapped irritably when a small body bumped into him.

"I'm so sorry!" Toki apologized quickly. She was so consumed with staring at the different types of war ships that were docked all around her that she wasn't paying any attention to where she was going.

"What are you doing down here kid? Are you lost or something?" He asked with a frown.

"No sir, Im looking for work" Toki answered, attempting to make her voice sound slightly deeper.

"Looking for work?" Jee asked, eying the kid curiously. He was small and thin, probably a bit malnourished, and he doubted he could even lift the supply crates they picked up at every port, but Jee was desperate. "You got any skills?"

"Some," Toki answered vaguely. "But I learn fast and I'm not afraid of hard work" she quickly added, hoping to make a good impression.

"It seems to be your lucky day kid. A couple of my crew members were injured recently and the pickings are pretty slim around here for new crew members" he said with a weary sigh. Toki glanced around at the docks that were packed with soldiers, but decided not to look a gift ostrich horse in the mouth and just roll with it.

"I'm Lieutenant Jee" he introduced himself, placing a weathered hand on the kid's shoulder and leading him down the dock.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity Lieutenant Jee!" Toki said, sounding way more excited that she intended to.

"Don't thank me just yet" he muttered and she gave him a confused look. "So, you got a name kid?"

"Yes!" She said a little too quickly. "My name is uh...Toshi?" She said, cringing inwardly at how awkward and unconvincing that sounded. Jee didn't question it, he was just happy he found a living body to fill a spot on his crew.

"Well Toshi, welcome aboard" Jee said as they stepped onto a dock that lead up to a small, old war ship that looked pretty heavily damaged.

"Woah, what happened?" Toki asked, looking at the damage with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, it's kind of a long story" Jee mumbled. "We've repaired the engines well enough to get us where we need to go, so the damage is mostly cosmetic now."

Toki nodded and followed Lieutenant Jee across the deck and through the door that lead inside. The inside of the ship was dark. The small lanterns attached to the walls helped some, but Toki knew if she wasn't careful she could easily get lost in the dimly lit hallways.

"This will be your room" Jee said, pushing open a heavy metal door to reveal a small comfortable looking room. Toki tossed her bag on the bed then followed Jee again as he gave her a tour of the ship and explained what her duties would be. Since she was technically filling two positions until they could hire another crew member, she would have to work in many different parts of the ship and help with whatever chores needed to be done. She even got to meet a few members of the crew and she was very surprised that they all seemed so jovial and friendly.

Once the grand tour was complete the two went back up to the deck. There were two men that Toki hadn't met yet standing near the front of the ship and Jee's posture went rigid as they approached. The older man looked friendly, he had a wide smile and a round belly that reminded Toki of her late grandfather. The younger one on the other hand looked like he could be trouble. He had a shaved head, except for a ponytail right at the top, and a large red scar that covered the left side of his face and made his angry glare look ten times more intimidating.

"Prince Zuko. General Iroh" Jee greeted them with a tight lipped smile.

Toki's heart skipped a beat as she froze mid-step next to Lieutenant Jee and stared at the two in shock. The prince of the freaking fire nation. She had gotten hired on to work for the prince of the fire nation of all people. She briefly considered running for her life, but decided against it when general Iroh turned to her with a warm friendly smile.

"Oh, who is this?" Iroh asked curiously when he noticed the new person standing by Lieutenant Jee.

"He's the new crew member thats going to be replacing Matsu and Shu after the incident at the South Pole." Jee replied, relaxing in Iroh's calming presence. "This is Toshi" Jee added, patting her on the back roughly and nearly knocking her over.

"It's nice to meet you Toshi!" Iroh said cheerfully. Toki was quite surprised that someone from the fire nation seemed to be so nice, let alone a member of the royal family.

"It's nice to meet you too" Toki replied with a respectful bow.

"Prince Zuko" Iroh called the grumpy looking Prince's attention since he only seemed to be halfway paying attention to the conversation.

"What Uncle?" He grumbled.

"You should introduce yourself to our newest crew member!"

"I have no interest in the crew" Zuko snapped, having lost patience with the interaction already. "We need to get this ship out of the harbor! Prepare to set sail immediately!"

"But there's finally someone else here around your own age! This could be a perfect opportunity to make a new friend!" Iroh exclaimed cheerfully.

"I don't need any friends! The only thing I'm interested in is capturing the Avatar!" Zuko replied, raising his voice.

"The Avatar? That's impossible, he's been missing for over a hundred years" Toki said with a chuckle.

Zuko's attention quickly turned toward the smaller boy as he fixed him with a particularly venemus glare. This peasant had been on board for all of five minutes and he was already shooting his mouth off. Zuko was going to teach this little pest not to mess with him.

Toki's eyes went wide in surprise as Zuko took two large steps toward her, stopping only inches from her face as he yelled, "Well I found him! And every minute of my time you're wasting right now is another minute he's getting further away!"

Toki stood there, holding his burning amber gaze in the most nonthreatening way she could while also trying to show him that he wasn't going to get her to back down. Having grown up in a tavern, she knew that the worst thing she could do would be to show these men that she could be easily pushed around and intimidated.

"Do not worry Prince Zuko, I am sure we will have no trouble catching up to him" Iroh said placing a hand on the Prince's shoulder and pulling him back a few steps so he was no longer in Toki's face. "You just need to be patient."

"I don't need patience!" Zuko turned on his uncle, yanking his hand from his shoulder harshly. "WHAT I NEED IS FOR THEM TO GET TO WORK AND GET THIS SHIP OUT OF THE HARBOR!"

Zuko sent Toki one last glare before turning on his heel and stomping below deck, slamming the heavy door behind him as hard as he could. The prince had yelled so loudly that some of the passers by on the docks had stopped what they were doing just to stare at them curiously before continuing on with their business. After the temper tantrum the prince had thrown, Toki decided that her life on the ship would be much more enjoyable as long as she avoided the prince as much as possible.

"Alright kid, let's get to work" Lieutenant Jee said, rubbing his head in irritation. Toki nodded and followed him across the deck to help him and the rest of the crew prepare for departure.


	2. Chapter 2

Toki rolled over in her bed with a huff. It was her third night on this creaking tub and she was finding it nearly impossible to get any decent sleep. She was still trying to get used to the constant swaying and rocking that came with living on a ship and it wasn't going well at all. She had been completely seasick for the first day and a half until the nausea finally subsided and she was able to hold down some soup. She had also found out that there was quite a learning curve when it came to doing something as simple as walking. She had been thrown off balance more times than she could count and had been completely knocked off of her feet a few times as well. The crew had gotten a pretty good laugh at her expense because of that.

Toki groaned in irritation as the sun's warm light began to creep through her small window. She tossed the blankets aside and slowly got out of bed, reminding herself that this would only last for a few more weeks. She undressed and wrapped her chest then quickly got dressed again, always worrying that someone could walk in on her despite the fact that she always kept her door closed and locked. Once she was ready for the day she left her room and made her way down to the mess hall for breakfast.

"Rough night?" Ryota, the chef, asked with a chuckle. He was a portly older man who had a big heart and an even bigger smile that was similar to General Iroh's. He scooped a large serving of porridge into a bowl and handed it to the visibly exhausted kid.

"Is it that obvious?" Toki asked with a frown.

"I'd recognize that look anywhere" he explained. "Don't worry rookie, it'll get easier."

"When?" Toki huffed indignantly and plopped down at a nearby table. She shoveled a bite of food into her mouth and sighed happily when she realized how good it tasted. The good food was definitely a perk to sailing with two fire nation royals.

"Well you're already getting better. You aren't seasick anymore" Ryota said with a shrug and Toki rolled her eyes.

"You're catching on better than that spoiled Prince did, that's for sure!" Lieutenant Jee said with a sour expression as he walked up to get a bowl of food from Ryota.

"You're right about that! He couldn't hold down solid food for over a week!" Ryota snickered mischievously.

"So he's getting to you already this morning?" Toki asked Jee as he sat down at the table across from her.

"I'm just getting sick of taking orders from a disrespectful child!" He growled and glared into his bowl.

"He's hardly a child." Toki replied with a frown. "I'm sixteen too and I'm plenty old enough to know how to act and treat people respectfully. It should be common sense but he's too much of a spoiled brat to understand."

Ryota and Jee both paused and stared at Toshi with wide eyed expressions. The kid was so small, Jee had just assumed he was a few years younger. He had even told the crew to take it easy on the boy because he didn't think the kid could have been any older than thirteen. How poorly had this boy been taken care of that he was still so small at sixteen years old?

"What?" Toki snapped when she realized they were too busy staring at her like she was some kind of freak to respond to what she said.

"You're sixteen?" They both asked incredulously.

"Yes." She replied with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with that?"

"Its just, you're so puny, we thought you were thirteen or fourteen at the most!" Jee said, trying to hold back laughter.

"He's so scrawny for a sixteen year old boy!" Ryota howled as Jee lost his battle and began cracking up also.

"Looks like we're going to have to work him hard to toughen him up!" Jee snorted.

"You need to eat up boy! You'll never be popular with the ladies if you don't get some meat on your bones!" Ryota added.

Toki glared at the two men who were cackling like a couple of hyenas. It wasn't her fault that she was petite, she was a girl after all. Not that they were aware of that fact. Either way, their continuous jokes about how puny and non masculine she was only worsened her already foul mood.

"I'm done" Toki snapped, sliding her bowl away and leaving the table in a huff.

"Hey, you still need to bring some food to the prince!" Ryota called out but Toki ignored him and left the mess hall as quickly as possible.

"Great, now who's going to take food up to prince cranky?" Ryota said with a frown.

"Well, good luck with that" Jee said, quickly standing up from the table and practically running out of the room.

"Traitor" Ryota grumbled as he glared at the door Jee had just left through. He scooped some porridge into two bowls and set them on a serving tray along with Iroh's tea and some cups and spoons, then started towards their separate dining room.

"Ah, good morning Ryota" Iroh greeted the old cook with a wide smile.

"Good morning General Iroh" he replied, setting the food down on the table and serving the tea.

"I'm surprised to see you here today. Where is Toshi?" Iroh asked curiously.

"Oh he's around here somewhere" Ryota replied with a chuckle. "I think Lieutenant Jee and I might have offended him this morning."

"Why is that?" Iroh asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently he's actually sixteen years old and quite sensitive to people making fun of how small he is" Ryota explained with a wry grin.

"But Lieutenant Jee told everyone that he was thirteen" Zuko stated. Ryota glanced over at him, surprised that he was even paying attention to the conversation at all.

"It seems Jee never actually asked his age and just assumed he was younger" Ryota explained.

"I see" Iroh said stroking his grey beard in thought. "I think the two of you might owe Toshi an apology."

"You might be right, but the kids gotta toughen up a bit if he is going to survive life on this ship." Ryota said as he stood up. He bowed respectfully to the two before leaving them to their meal and going back to the kitchen.

Toki groaned in disgust as she scooped up the last pile of komodo rhino poop and dumped it into a bucket to be taken out. The only thing she hated more than the giant, terrifying beasts was scooping their equally giant and terrifying leavings up off of the floor every morning. She then pulled a few big chunks of meat from a storage crate in the corner of the room and tossed them down on one side of each pen to distract the komodo rhinos for a few minutes. The moment they were too busy tearing into the meat to notice her she grabbed a small bail of hay and climbed into the first pen. She quickly spread some hay out on the floor for the rhino to sleep on then moved on to the next pen. When she was done with the hay she made sure the water troughs were full then left the room in search for something else to do.

Toki decided to go check the laundry room to see if anyone needed an help with their washing. Usually the crewmen were responsible for washing their own laundry, so it was just Zuko and Iroh's clothes that needed tending to, but it wasn't unusual for the Prince to pull someone away for some ridiculous reason or another, resulting in abandoned piles of clothes scattered around the room. Unfortunately for Toki, today wasn't one of those days. The room was completely deserted. There weren't even any of Prince Zuko's training clothes waiting to be washed yet so Toki continued on her search for something to do. She knew she really should be in the kitchen helping Ryota, since that's where she usually was around this time, but she was still feeling a little bitter about what happened this morning. Instead, she decided to go down to the engine room and check out how the repairs were coming along.

"Hello?" Toki called as she stepped into the noisy engine room.

"Hey Toshi!" Kazuki, one of the engineers called out from behind a large piece of machinery.

Toki smiled as she walked over to where he was, glad it was him that was on duty today instead of the other engineer who was an older man. Kazuki was a couple of years older than her, and aside from the crabby prince, the only one onboard who was close to her in age. Also, unlike the prince, Kazuki was a very friendly person who was always smiling and laughing. She really enjoyed his company and was more than happy to help him with his work, even if she didn't really understand much of it.

"So what are you doing down here on such a beautiful day?" Kazuki asked as he began climbing out from the small area he had been working in.

"I just thought I'd come see if you need any help with anything today" Toki replied, watching warily as Kazuki climbed down from the huge machine with practiced ease.

"Actually, I do have something you could do for me" he said, opening one of his toolboxes and searching through it. He pulled out a greasy piece of paper and handed it to Toki with a grin.

"What's this?" She asked as she unfolded the paper and read the long list of items that was written down the front and back of the paper.

"That's a shopping list for all of the supplies and parts I need when we stop at the next port." He said, taking a few broken tools out of the toolbox and holding them up for Toki to see. "As you can see, were getting pretty desperate down here, and until I get those things the engine repairs are basically at a standstill."

"Why didn't you get supplies when you guys stopped a few days ago?" Toki asked curiously. "I would figure that a fire nation harbor would be the best place to get most of these things."

"Yes, it would have been great to get what we needed there, if Prince Zuko wouldn't have gone picking a fight with Commander Zhao" Kazuki said with a frown.

"Who's Commander Zhao?"

"The guy who runs that harbor. He's a real creep, don't get me wrong, but all Prince Zuko had to do was keep his mouth shut. We could have been out of there with plenty of extra supplies and everything we needed" Kazuki huffed in frustration. "But, thanks to him, we had to rush out of there with just the minimum repairs and no supplies at all."

"Wow, he does sure like to make enemies doesn't he" she mumbled.

"You have no idea. You're still new here. You'll see what he's really like. I can't stand that spoiled Prince" Kazuki said.

"That does seem to be the general consensus. I'm guessing that's why General Iroh keeps asking me to be his friend" Toki said, looking at the ground in thought.

"Hah, friends" Kazuki snorted indignantly. "He couldn't be friendly to anyone if his life depended on it. I doubt he's ever even had a real friend in his life."

"Maybe that's why Iroh thinks he needs one?" Toki shrugged. "If he's never had friends before, maybe he just doesn't know how to go about it?"

"Please don't tell me your thinking of actually trying to be his friend?"

"Let's not get too crazy now" she chuckled. "I'm just saying, maybe we should extend the grapevine and see what happens?"

"You're literally insane" Kazuki deadpanned.

"Oh, come on" Toki said, elbowing him lightly and grinning.

"Ugh, fine. I'll back your crazy plan, but don't come running to me when he gets pissed and starts chucking fireballs at you." Kazuki replied with a grin of his own.

"Deal." She nodded and folded the paper back up and put it in her pocket. "I'll take this list to Lieutenant Jee and let him know how desperate you are for supplies."

"Thank you!" Kazuki said as Toki left the engine room and headed toward the bridge.

Jee usually spent a lot of time up in the control room, so when Toki finally got there she was surprised to see that he wasn't there.

"Have you seen Lieutenant Jee?" She asked the helmsman, who was always up there navigating and keeping the ship on course.

"He is on deck, training with Prince Zuko" he answered in a bored tone.

"Thank you" she replied and walked down the stairs that lead to the deck.

Toki cursed under her breath when the ship suddenly rocked from a rough wave, causing her to stumble and nearly fall down the stairs.

"Stupid, unsteady, metal, death trap!" She hissed as she opened the heavy door that lead to the deck. The moment Toki stepped foot on the deck, she was nearly blasted in the face with a fireball.

"Shit!" She yelped as she threw herself backwards onto the ground, barely dodging the blast. She covered her face with her arms to block the heat as the fireball hit the wall behind her and quickly dissipated.

"Toshi!" Iroh called out in concern as Zuko and Jee halted midway through their next round of attacks to see what was going on.

"I'm okay" she said lamely as she pushed herself back up to her feet.

"You're pretty quick on your feet kid" Jee said with a chuckle. "I guess being a half pint has its advantages."

"I guess" she shrugged, giving him a hard look.

"Ah, Ryota told us about that little mix up this morning" Iroh said in amusement.

"Oh, great. So everyone has heard about it by now." Toki mumbled and rolled her eyes as Jee and Iroh walked towards her while Zuko stayed back looking irritated that his training had been interrupted.

"It isn't so bad" Iroh said encouragingly. "After a few weeks of eating Ryota's delicious cooking you'll fill out in no time."

"Maybe we should add him into the training sessions?" Jee said rubbing his chin in thought. "We could build those little noodley muscles up no problem."

Toki looked at Jee in horror, just opening her mouth to protest when Iroh said, "That could be a good idea, but I don't think Toshi is a fire bender."

"I'm not a bender" she said, hopeful that they would leave her out of whatever scheme they were cooking up.

"Well, we could work around that" Jee said with a grin. "There's still plenty of things for him to learn. He doesn't need bending."

"You do have a point" Iroh replied with a mischievous grin.

Toki groaned and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. She could only assume Iroh had decided to use Jee's attempt to escape training with Zuko as a chance to try and build some sort of friendship between her and Zuko.

"What're you geezers yapping about?" Zuko snapped, suddenly stomping across the deck towards them. "We were in the middle of something here!"

"Right, what was it you needed Toshi?" Jee said, his mood immediately souring with the Prince's outburst.

"Oh yeah, Kazuki asked me to deliver this" Toki replied, pulling the greasy paper from her pocket and handing it over to Jee.

"Who?" Zuko asked, looking genuinely confused.

"He's one of your engineers" she answered with a raised eyebrow.

She was surprised the prince didn't know who he was, considering he had been working on this ship for quite a while now. Not to mention he was the last victim of Iroh's 'make friends for Zuko' scheme before Kazuki had to break it to the poor guy that it just wasn't going to happen.

"Whatever" he snapped and rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, Kazuki and his broken tools" Jee grumbled as he read over the list.

"He said the engine repairs are at a standstill until he gets more supplies" Toki added.

"Alright, I'll figure it out" Jee said as he folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

"Good! Can we please get back to training now?" Zuko said, raising his voice impatiently.

"Sure thing!" Jee suddenly as an evil grin spread across his face.

Toki felt a chill creep down her spine and quickly turned to leave. She hadn't even taken three steps when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"No, no, no" she hissed as Jee turned her around and pushed her back towards the prince.

"Time to start your training, kid!"

"Do you think this is some kind of a game?" Zuko growled at Jee.

"Not at all Prince Zuko!" Jee said in an overly cheerful tone. "You need a training partner, and I need to get these things taken care of for Kazuki!" He patted his pocket that held the list.

Zuko was furious. Toki could feel it. Heat radiated from the Prince's body as his anger increased, and Toki discreetly took a few steps to the side just in case he suddenly burst into flames. She wasn't exactly happy about the situation either, and she was desperately trying to think of a way out of it before Zuko decided barbecue her.

"B-But I have work I should be doing!" Toki suddenly spoke up. "Ryota needs my help prepping for dinner!"

"Don't worry, I'll cover for you!" Jee said as he started to walk away. "Have fun you two!" He called over his shoulder as he made his escape below deck.

Zuko was livid and quickly stomped across the deck, blasting fireballs into the sky erratically. Toki watched him warily then turned to Iroh giving him a desperate look, silently pleading for mercy.

"Do not worry Toshi" Iroh said with a warm smile, giving her a small sliver of hope. "I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you" he said with an amused chuckle, effectively crushing Toki's last bit of hope.

"Oh spirits, what have I gotten myself into" She hissed as Iroh lead her toward the angry Fire Prince.


	3. Chapter 3

"How you holding up, kiddo?" Ryota asked with a sympathetic smile as Toshi slowly shuffled into the kitchen.

"Training with Zuko is going to be the death of me" Toki groaned tiredly.

She had just finished the second day of training and she still hadn't learned a single thing besides run fast and don't get hit. Zuko was clearly still upset about being stuck with her as a training partner. Iroh had made a few attempts at diffusing the tension and turning it into an actual training session, but it always inevitably ended up with Toki running for her life while Zuko vented his frustration by lobbing fireballs at her.

"He's just throwing a fit because he isn't getting his way" Ryota chuckled as he began pulling out the ingredients for lunch. "Unfortunately, we don't get that luxury. Time to get to work."

"What do you need me to do?" She asked, eying the ingredients while rolling up her sleeves.

"Well, since you spent all morning with Prince Zuko, you're behind on your chores." Ryota said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the pile of dirty breakfast dishes that still needed washing.

"Right" Toki sighed, walking across the kitchen to get started.

By the time Toki finished the dishes Ryota was just finishing up on lunch, so Toki started heating a kettle of water for Iroh's tea. While she waited for the tea to boil she grabbed a large tray and started gathering everything that Iroh and Zuko would need for their meal. Ryota added a pan of dumplings and a large bowl of rice to the tray while Toki finished making the tea just the way Iroh liked it.

Toki carefully lifted the heavy tray and slowly started toward the private royal dining room.

Iroh and Zuko sat in the dining room, patiently waiting for Toshi to arrive with their lunch. Iroh eyed his nephew who was, for lack of a better phrase, pouting like a small child.

"Is everything okay Prince Zuko?"

"No Uncle, nothing is okay!" Zuko snapped angrily.

"What do you mean?" He asked, feigning ignorance. He knew very well why his nephew was upset, but with the way he had been acting at training lately, he didn't think he wanted to make this easy for him.

"I don't understand why you're trying to train that ridiculous peasant" Zuko grumbled.

"Why are you so upset with Toshi joining in on training?" Iroh asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He has no business being there, that's why!"

"You really think so?" Iroh asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes! He is useless, he cant even put up a decent fight!"

"Well, perhaps we should adjust his training to include something he might actually be able to learn?" Iroh quipped.

"Or maybe he should be doing what we're actually paying him to do instead" Zuko retorted.

"Prince Zuko, you really should give him a chance" Iroh sighed.

"No Uncle, I'm sick your ridiculous plan to try and force me to make friends!"

"I do not understand why you are so opposed to making friends" Iroh said with a frustrated frown.

"Because I need to be learning to fight so I can capture the Avatar, not wasting my time babysitting some pathetic little weakling!" Zuko yelled right as Toshi walked into the room.

Toshi paused in the doorway eying Zuko with a slight frown and Iroh looked back and forth between the two then cleared his throat awkwardly. Toshi broke the tense staring contest and turned to Iroh with an apologetic smile as he continued walking towards the table.

"So how is your day going Toshi?" Iroh greeted cheerfully as Toshi keeled down next to the table and sat the heavy tray down.

"Pretty good I suppose" Toki replied casually, "I'm just trying to catch up on my work. I'm pretty behind since I spent all morning wasting everyone's time with training that I never asked to be a part of." She added passive aggressively. She could practically feel the prince drilling holes through the side of her head with his hard glare as she started setting up their dishes.

"Then maybe you should just quit" Zuko said challengingly. Toshi looked up at him with a fierce glare, hazel eyes boring into Zuko's fearlessly.

"Maybe you should get that royal stick out of your ass!"

"Now, now, that's enough!" Iroh suddenly butted in loudly.

"You better watch your mouth peasant" Zuko said in a threatening tone, ignoring his Uncle completely.

"Or what? You'll throw a fire ball at me?" Toki asked mockingly.

"Maybe I should! Someone needs to teach you some respect!"

"Well that's the pot calling the kettle black" she scoffed. "You wouldn't know respect if it bit you on the-"

"ENOUGH!" Iroh suddenly yelled, slamming his fist on the table in frustration, effectively silencing the argument between the two teenagers.

Toki's face immediately went blank as she snuffed her anger out and pushed it deep down with practiced ease. It was a knee-jerk reaction, but it had saved her from Goro's harsh punishments more times than she could count and she had gotten quite good at it over the years.

Zuko stared at Toshi with a raised eyebrow, thoroughly confused by what he had just witnessed. He knew most people put up emotional barriers, he had a few of his own, but he had never visibly seen someone throw up a wall like a battle shield before. That's really all he could describe it as. It was like Toshi had just shut down and went into servant mode, his face instantly lost all emotion and he quickly resumed setting the table like a perfectly behaved butler.

Iroh noticed the strange look on his nephew's face and looked at Toshi as well. He furrowed his eyebrows in bewilderment when he noticed what Zuko must have seen. Toshi set a pan of food on the table with a vacant expression then stood up and bowed respectfully before hastily leaving the room without a word.

"How curious" Iroh said softly as he stroked his beard in thought.

"What was that about" Zuko asked quietly.

"Perhaps there is more to Toshi than meets the eye" Iroh said, eying Zuko impishly.

He knew his nephew's curiosity could be quite compelling, and as much as Zuko might want it, Iroh refused to give up on the plan. Zuko didn't respond, but he didn't have to for Iroh to know that his idea had been successful. To anyone else it probably just looked like Zuko was staring at the door with his usual angry glare, but Iroh could see the glint of curiosity behind his nephew's eyes. He only hoped this newfound curiosity would give Zuko a chance to open up to Toshi and create opportunity for friendship.

By the time Toki had returned to the kitchen, all of the dishes she had just washed from breakfast were back in the sink, dirty from the crew's lunch. She had shot Ryota a dirty look but he only shrugged and reminded her that it was part of her duties. After she was finished with kitchen work she trudged through her work in the rhino stables, then her laundry duty. By the time she had finished with the laundry her stomach was screaming and she realized that she had been so busy that she had gone all day without eating. Toki quickly went back to the kitchen to help Ryota, but by the time she got there he was already finished cooking and was serving up plates for the crew.

"There you are Toshi, I was getting worried about you" He said with a broad smile.

"Sorry, I was trying to catch up on some work" she replied sheepishly.

"Yeah, I thought that might be the case, that's why I asked Kazuki to bring food to Prince Zuko this evening" he said as he held a plate of food out to her.

"Thank you" she said with a smile as she took the plate and went to the dining area to sit down. A few minutes later Kazuki sat down next to her with a plate of his own and an unusually sour expression. Toki looked at him curiously and asked "is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just not very used to dealing with Zuko's attitude anymore" Kazuki said with a shrug.

"Ah, yeah. He can be a lot to handle sometimes" she replied.

"I don't know how General Iroh puts up with it" he said with a frown.

"He probably sees something there that the rest of us can't" she said offhandedly then scooped a bite of food into her mouth.

"Like what?" Kazuki scoffed.

"I don't know," she sighed, "but Iroh has known Zuko all his life, and I doubt he's been a raging lunatic since birth. Maybe Iroh still sees him for who he used to be?"

"I think you're being too optimistic. He's royalty, he grew up in a castle with servants to do everything for him, he's probably been a jerk his whole life." He said as he also took a bite of food.

"I mean, I guess it's possible, but I don't think Iroh would even be on this ship if that were the case" she replied.

"I guess you've got a point there" Kazuki conceded. " So, I heard you and Zuko got into it earlier. What was that about?"

"Uugh" she groaned, rubbing her forehead in agitation, "He was complaining to Iroh about me being included in his training."

"Wasn't that Iroh's idea though?"

"Yes" she huffed, "Apparently he knows that Iroh has been trying to create some kind of friendship between us but it seems like Iroh has no intention of stopping" she stated.

"What the heck" Kazuki snapped, beginning to get angry. "You're not just some pawn for their ridiculous dysfunctional family drama."

"It's okay Kazuki" she said, trying to calm him down.

"It's not okay!" He said in frustration, "you don't deserve be treated like a punching bag Toshi."

"I know that" she said defensively, "I can take care of myself you know."

"I know, I know" he muttered grumpily. "I guess I'm just worried about you. You're not even a bender Toshi. Plus, Zuko's temper is out of control, he'll probably kill you one day if you're not careful."

"I don't think so" She said nonchalantly.

"How can you think he won't? I've seen him training with Jee before, when he gets mad he's ruthless!"

"I know, I've seen him training before too" She deadpanned.

"Then how are you not terrified for your life?" He asked impatiently. He really couldn't understand why Toshi would be trying to defend the prince.

"Because he doesn't come at me like he does with Jee."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything" she stated, trying to think of a way to get her point across. "He's always really mad when I show up to training. I know he usually just ends up throwing fireballs at me out of anger, but..." She trailed off, trying to think of the right way to say what she was trying to say.

"But, what?" Kazuki asked with a small frown.

"I don't know, It's like he's taking it easy on me or something" she shrugged. "I don't really have any way to prove it, but I've seen how quick his attacks are with other crew. There's no way I could dodge all those fireballs if he were actually trying to kill me."

"Are you serious? That's your big theory? He isn't trying to kill you as quickly as he normally would?" Kazuki asked in disbelief.

"Yes" she replied, completely seriously.

"You're literally insane" he said flatly. "Next thing I know you're going to tell me that you're still planning on making friends with him too" Kazuki grumbled.

"Well..." Toki said with an awkward look and Kazuki's eyes went wide.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He said in surprise. "You two were literally yelling insults at each other earlier today."

"Well, I never said we would be best buddies or anything, but yeah. I'm still willing to extend the grapevine to him if the time ever comes when he is willing to do the same" She explained. "Besides, I was just as guilty as him for what happened earlier, so I can't really stay mad about it" She explained.

"How were you just as wrong? You said he was complaining about you."

"It was a private conversation between Zuko and Iroh, and I just sort of walked into the middle of it. I overheard what they said when I shouldn't have and immediately started throwing insults at Zuko without really thinking things through."

Toki watched Kazuki pick at his food in thought for a moment then turned back to her own plate to take another bite. She knew Kazuki wasn't happy that she was defending Zuko so adamantly, but she knew she was in the wrong for what happened earlier and she should probably apologize to both Zuko and Iroh for her behavior. Toki glanced back at Kazuki and said, "Hey, Kazuki."

"Yeah?" He asked, looking over curiously.

"Thank you for looking out for me" she said with a warm smile, "I really appreciate it."

Kazuki blinked in surprise, an unsettling feeling stirring within him as he nodded and mumbled, "no problem."

Toki noticed the strange look on Kazuki's face but didn't think much of it as she picked up her plate and stood up from her seat.

Kazuki silently watched Toshi carry his plate back to Ryota then leave the galley. He then turned back to his own half eaten plate of food, staring absent mindedly as his mind wandered. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about Toshi in that moment had seemed a little bit off, he just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Toki stood outside of the large door to the Royal's private dining room with a pensive frown. She knew she wanted to apologise for earlier, she just wasn't quite sure yet how she wanted to do it. Muffled voices carried through the door as she raised her hand to knock lightly on the door.

"Come in" Iroh's cheerful voice called through the door.

"Sorry to interrupt" she said as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Hello Toshi, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?" Iroh asked curiously as Toshi took a couple of steps toward them then stopped.

"I owe you both an apology" she said quietly.

"For what?" Zuko asked, eying Toshi with a puzzled expression.

"Um, for earlier" she explained. "The way I acted was inappropriate. I'm really sorry." She said as she bowed respectfully.

Zuko sat silently, staring at Toshi in bewilderment. He hadn't been expecting that at all, none of the other crew had ever sought him out just to apologise for something before. Especially when he had been the one bad-mouthing Toshi to begin with.

"No apologies necessary" Iroh said with a warm smile as Toshi stood upright again. "I believe a bit of friendly rivalry could really benefit the two of you in future training" he added optimistically.

"Future training?" She and Zuko asked at the same time.

"Yes, It will be good for you and Toshi to continuing with the training."

"Oh" Toki mumbled with a frown.

"You've got to be kidding me" Zuko huffed grumpily.

"Cheer up you two, this is a wonderful opportunity to work together and get to know each other. You never know, you two might actually grow to like each other and become friends." Iroh said with an encouraging smile.

"Whatever" Zuko said in defeat, tired of having the same argument with his uncle over and over again. He would never understand why his uncle was so adamant about him making friends.

Toki glanced over at Zuko who was looking at the table with a moody frown. She had to admit that he was taking this much better than expected, he hadn't even yelled. She didn't think she and Zuko would ever become best friends like Iroh was hoping for, but she would stick to what she told Kazuki and remain open to possible friendly interaction if Zuko decided to try. Toki turned back to Iroh with a small smile. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Toki groaned internally at the sight of Zuko. This was going to be awful.

Zuko released a steady breath as he got into his fighting stance. Toshi just stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to make the first move as usual. Zuko really couldn't understand why his uncle had insisted on trying to force them into being friends by wasting his time all week on training. Toshi wasn't a bender and he really didn't have any decent fighting skills, so all this really ended up being was just glorified target practice. And to make matters worse, Zuko had been failing at said target practice in a surprisingly miserable way. At first Zuko was trying to go easy on him, deliberately slowing his attacks down so he wouldn't accidentally kill the little peasant, but when he saw how easily Toshi was able to dodge his attacks, he stepped it up a bit. That was on the second day of training. Now, after a solid week of actually putting in effort and trying to knock the little cretin on his ass and still failing, Zuko was really getting pissed off.

Toki wasn't very happy with the poorly thought out arrangement either. For the last week, rather than doing any actual training like Iroh had wanted, she spent all morning dodging fire balls and running for her life. Not to mention, Zuko's attacks had gotten more and more intense as the days went on as he was getting more angry at her. Needless to say she was completely exhausted. She couldn't remember the last time she had done such strenuous exercise and her whole body ached with every movement she made.

Zuko focused in on Toshi like a predator watching his prey then quickly lunged into his first attack. Toki threw herself to the side, rolling away from the attack, then jumped back up to her feet as fast as she could. Zuko wasted no time before launching his next attack, throwing a series of fireballs at her one right after the other. She ran in a circle around the deck dodging fireballs left and right when one suddenly came too close for comfort. Toki was already struggling to keep up with the Prince's grueling pace. They had barely even gotten started yet and her movements were already getting sluggish. Toki ducked as another one came dangerously close to hitting her in the head and she knew she needed to do something or he was actually going to hurt her. She quickly changed directions, running back across the deck as Zuko tried to cut her off by launching a huge flame out in front of her. Without missing a step, Toki changed directions again, this time running directly towards him. Zuko hesitated for a moment before he threw another fireball at her with a growl. Toki ducked the fireball, rolling forward and using her momentum to launch herself up from the deck and tackle Zuko to the ground.

Zuko grunted as he hit the deck, hard. Toshi quickly grabbed his wrists and pinned his arms down on the deck and dug his knee into Zuko's stomach to keep him from moving. Zuko glared at the peasant who hovered above him with a smug smirk on his face, thinking he had won. There was just one thing Toshi had forgotten. Zuko was a trained fighter who was much bigger and much stronger than him. He shoved Toshi off of him effortlessly, then grabbed his wrists and pinned him down the exact same way he had pinned Zuko only moments before.

"You insufferable little peasant!" He snarled in her face, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Toki laid there glaring at Zuko as she tried to breathe under his weight. He had pinned her down with his knee like she had done to him, but in his anger he was steadily putting more and more pressure on her. This, paired with the already constricting chest binding she was wearing meant she was really struggling to catch her breath, which was causing her to panic. Panicking was only making matters worse and her lungs were practically screaming for air by the time Iroh had walked over to them.

"Prince Zuko, that's enough" Iroh said, grabbing his nephew's arm and pulling him back.

As soon as the crushing weight was lifted, Toki rolled to her side and desperately gasped for breath. She could feel Iroh and Zuko staring at her as she struggled to calm down and breathe, which wasn't helping her calm down in the least.

"Toshi, perhaps we should take you to see the doctor" Iroh said, extremely concerned for the boy.

"No!" Toki wheezed as the panic increased. She scrambled to her feet, trying to look convincing as she forced out, "I'm fine."

"Then perhaps we should just call it a day" Iroh said, not convinced at all.

"Sounds good" Toki huffed and turned toward the door that lead below deck but paused when she noticed Zuko standing in the way. She quickly shoved past him and hurried below deck. The moment the heavy door closed behind her she practically ran to her room.

Zuko stared at the door for a moment in utter bewilderment before turning toward his uncle. Iroh looked just as confused and also pretty concerned.

"I wonder what could be wrong with him?" Iroh said with a frown as he stroked his grey beard in thought.

"He's probably just being a sore loser" Zuko said, rolling his eyes. He needed focus on training to capture the Avatar, not waste his time worrying about Toshi. Zuko caught himself looking back at the door Toshi had just left through, and quickly pushed away his curiosity so he could focus on training.

Toki locked the door to her room and immediately started ripping her clothes off. She unwrapped the binding from her chest and gasped as she was finally able to take a deep breath. She sat down on the edge of her bed, gripping her blankets tightly as she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She could feel herself calming down and her breathing was getting more even, so she pulled her shirt back on and flopped down on her bed. She laid there for a while, staring at the ceiling as she tried to figure out what exactly had happened. The binding had been tight, but she never wrapped it so tight that she couldn't breathe. Maybe it was just the combination of the binding and Zuko's heavy ass squishing the crap out of her? She even considered the possibility of it being panic attack, but she didn't really know for sure. She slowly drifted off to sleep as she tried to figure out why she had freaked out the way she did.

It was late when Toki finally woke up. She sat up and groaned in pain as her muscles ached in protest. She had clearly overexerted herself this last week and she was feeling the consequences of it now. She winced as she forced herself out of bed and stretched out her sore muscles to help ease the pain. She was wide awake now, which is to be expected when you fall asleep in the middle of the day, so she decided to stay up for a while. She pulled her shirt off so she could wrap her chest again but paused when she looked down at her stomach. A large purple bruise painted her stomach where Zuko's knee had been. She poked it lightly and frowned finally realizing why she felt so much worse than she had before. It would be sore for a while but there was nothing she could really do about it so she just wrapped her chest and put her shirt back on.

Toki decided it would be safe to go for a walk since most of the crew were probably in bed at this hour. The chances of someone bothering her or trying to put her to work were pretty slim, so she pushed her heavy door open as quietly as she could and headed towards the deck.

The air was cool and the sky was clear as Toki walked across the deck enjoying the view of the stars reflecting off of the water's surface. It was truly a beautiful sight. In a strange way it reminded her of the nights back at the tavern when she would climb out of her bedroom window and sit on the roof staring up at the stars until dawn. She walked to the front of the ship and laid down on the deck. The cold metal felt great on her sore muscles. She propped her feet up on the side wall of the ship and let her mind wander as she got lost in the stars.

Zuko glared at his ceiling as he tried in vain to fall asleep. He mind was constantly working through plans on how he could capture the Avatar and he was only making himself angry at this point. He sighed heavily and finally gave up, tossing his blankets aside and getting out of bed. Zuko was no stranger to a sleepless night and more often than not he found himself wandering around the ship at all hours of the night trying to clear his head. This night was no different as Zuko walked the dark halls aimlessly. He noticed the door to the deck was left open, which was out of the ordinary, and decided to check it out and make sure everything was okay.

Toki was dragged out of her thoughts as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She laid there, hoping whoever it was wouldn't notice her and would just continue on their way, but she knew luck had never been on her side. She kissed her moment of peace goodbye when Zuko's face appeared over her, blocking her view of the night sky.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously as he stood over Toshi who was sprawled out on the deck with his feet propped up.

"Just looking at the stars" Toki said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Why?" Zuko asked, genuinely confused.

"Because it's relaxing" Toki replied, laughing at the look ok Zuko's face. He looked like he had just stumbled across the most bizarre thing he had ever seen before. "You know, you should try it sometime."

The curious look he held was quickly replaced with his usual frown. "I don't need to relax" he huffed.

"Zuko, you're one of the most high strung people I've ever met. If anyone needs to relax, its you" Toki said with a wry grin. She was surprised when Zuko simply rolled his eyes at her rather than yelling or threatening to blow her head off with a fireball. She wondered if now was a good time to try extending the grapevine like she had suggested to Kazuki. She supposed it couldn't really hurt. Besides, it seemed like Zuko was in a surprisingly decent mood, so she decided to give it a try.

Zuko was taken off guard when Toshi patted the deck next to him with a big smile and said, "Come on, give it a try." The two of them stared at each other for a second before Zuko crossed his arms and frowned.

"No"

"Why not?" Toki asked, "I promise you won't regret it."

"I don't have to answer to you" he said, turning to walk away.

"Chicken" she called out playfully.

Zuko stopped in his tracks and turned back to face Toshi with an incredulous look on his face.

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me"

"What are you, a toddler?" Zuko asked, glaring down at the irritating peasant.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak chicken" Toki said with a smirk.

"Stop calling me that" he snapped.

"Who would have thought, the big bad prince of the fire nation is afraid of a-"

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Zuko interrupted, losing his patience.

"Then prove it" Toki said, giving him a challenging look.

She smiled when Zuko hesitated, clearly torn between proving her wrong and being labeled as a coward. She knew she had him when he sighed heavily and grumbled, "Fine." He reluctantly sat down on the deck next to her and laid back. Toki rolled her eyes at how tense Zuko was and tried to think of a way to get him to loosen up a little.

"You're doing it wrong" She said.

"What? I'm laying down! How do you lay down wrong?" He asked, giving her an irritated glare.

"Your feet" she said, kicking his foot lightly. "You have to prop them up to get the full effect."

"I feel ridiculous" Zuko complained as he put his feet up on the wall next to Toshi's. He crossed his arms as he glared up at the sky, wondering what the point of all of this was. He didn't feel any better, he just felt like an idiot for letting this peasant get the better of him.

"You're still doing it wrong" Toki sighed and Zuko looked at her with an annoyed frown.

"What now?"

"You're too tense. You need to relax."

"I am relaxing" he replied grumpily.

"That death glare you're giving me says otherwise" Toki said with a grin. "Come on Zuko, just try."

He hesitantly uncrossed his arms, laying them down in the ground next to him, mirroring how Toshi was laying. He then turned his gaze back up to the sky, wondering what had gotten into him. Why was he letting a nobody like Toshi boss him around like this? Maybe he was more sleep deprived than he thought? Though he couldn't deny that it was working as he felt the tension slowly leaving his body the longer he laid there.

"It's nice isn't it?" Toki said suddenly, pulling Zuko out of his thoughts.

"What?" He asked, turning his head look at Toshi.

"Letting go" she replied, still staring up at the sky.

"I guess"

"I used to do this a lot when I was a kid. Sometimes I'd spend the whole night just getting lost in the stars. It was nice to pretend to be somewhere else, to take whatever was bothering me and just let it go for a while."

Zuko thought of how his uncle was always telling him it how much better he would feel if he took time to calm down and clear his mind. "Did my uncle put you up to this?" Zuko asked, suddenly suspicious that he had somehow planned for this to happen.

"I haven't seen General Iroh since training earlier, so no, we're not conspiring against you if that's what you're asking." She said and rolled her eyes.

Zuko knew it was true, since he had spent almost all day with Iroh and he hadn't seen Toshi at all since the training incident that morning.

"What happened?" Zuko suddenly asked.

"Huh?" She turned to meet his curious gaze.

"At training. What was that?"

"Oh, that" she said, trying to quickly come up with an explanation. "I almost got crushed to death by some heavy ass fire bender" she said jokingly.

"It's not possible to crush someone to death." Zuko said with a smirk.

"Well it almost happened to me and I have the bruise to prove it!" She said with a laugh. She was surprised that Zuko was actually joking around with her like this. "You know, you're a lot heavier than you look."

"It's not my fault you're a shrimp." He shrugged, "besides, it was self defense, you tackled me first" He replied, also surprised at himself. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually had a friendly conversation with someone, and he never could have imagined he would end up sprawled out on the deck like a little kid, joking around with Toshi of all people.

"I was trying to defend myself against a barrage of fireballs" She explained, "what else was I supposed to do?"

"I guess you have a point."

"I don't get what Iroh and Jee are trying to do with training anyway" she sighed. "I barely know basic self defense. I wouldn't stand a chance against you in a real fight."

"They said it's to toughen you up, as if that would ever work" Zuko teased.

Toki smiled and said, "No, it probably wouldn't."

"Maybe tomorrow we should start some different training."

"Wait? You mean, no fire bending?" She asked curiously.

"No bending" he replied with a nod, "besides, I need the extra practice if I want to capture the Avatar before Zhao does."

"What's with this Avatar stuff anyway? There's no way he's really alive, he disappeared like a hundred years ago."

"He is alive! We're following his trail right now, and I'm going to capture him and bring him to my father!" Zuko said heatedly.

"Okay, okay, calm down" she said with a chuckle.

"So you believe me then?" Zuko asked with a youthful look of hope.

"Oh, absolutely not" she said with a smirk and Zuko's face instantly fell. "So I guess you'll just have to prove it to me" she added with a shrug.

"I will" he said with a fierce determination .

As the conversation died down the two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Toshi turned his attention back up to the sky. Zuko did the same but soon found himself watching Toshi from the corner of his eye instead. He wasn't sure what it was about this peasant, but there was something sort of strange about him. He didn't react to Zuko the same way most people did. He couldn't help but notice the way Toshi always looked him in the eyes. His gaze never faltered or trailed over his scar, which was surprising since no one else on his crew had ever done that. No one else he had ever met in the last two years had ever done that.

Zuko wasn't sure why, whether it be some strange sense of respect or if it was just curiosity, but he found himself wanting to know more about Toshi. Why was it that the first person, besides his uncle, that treated him like he was just a normal person was this random kid from the colonies. It's not like there was anything special about him, besides his small stature, he looked completely average. Well, maybe average wasn't totally true. He actually didn't have any of the common fire nation features he was used to seeing like dark hair, amber eyes, and ivory skin. Instead Toshi had lightly tanned skin and big hazel eyes, a small straight nose with a few small freckles scattered around, full pink lips that revealed a nice smile, and silky brown hair that fell around his cute face perfectly–

Zuko bolted upright and his feet roughly fell to the ground.

"Zuko?" Toki asked with a raised eyebrow as Zuko jumped to his feet like a startled cat.

"I'm going to bed!" Zuko snapped harshly as he turned on his heel and rushed toward the door to go below deck.

"Okay..." She mumbled as she slowly sat up and watched the prince's retreating form.

Zuko practically ran to his bedroom and immediately locked the door behind him. Once he was safe in his room he leaned against the door and stared at the opposite wall in complete shock. What the hell had he been thinking? Toshi is a guy! He shouldn't be thinking about how cute he looks. Zuko's eyes went wide as his face burned hot as he mentally berated himself. He didn't mean it like that. He couldn't. He must have been more sleep deprived than he had originally thought. He was clearly hallucinating or something. That was the only logical explanation, sleep deprivation and hallucinations, otherwise he wouldn't be thinking about Toshi's smooth tan skin and full pink lips–

"Gaah!" He yelped as he clamped his eyes shut and desperately pushed the blasphemous thoughts out of his mind. He needed to get some rest before he started having even scarier hallucinations or something even worse. Everything would be better once he was well rested. It had to be...


	5. Chapter 5

Toki had woken up early for training as usual, but when she arrived on deck she was surprised to find only Iroh waiting for her.

"Good morning," Iroh said with his usual smile.

"Good morning General Iroh," she replied, "Where is Prince Zuko?"

"I haven't seen him yet this morning. I thought he might have gone to wake you up."

"No I haven't seen him either."

"How unusual, my nephew is not usually one to sleep in." Iroh said, stroking his beard in thought. "Perhaps you should go check on him," he suggested with an impish grin.

"Okay," she agreed, choosing to ignore the old man's obvious ulterior motives. If she was being completely honest with herself, she was actually happy for the excuse to go check on the prince after the way he had been acting the night before.

Prince Zuko was sitting before his meditation table breathing deeply. The flames of the candles shrinking and growing with each controlled inhale and exhale. After what had happened the night before he was in no hurry to be anywhere near Toshi or his uncle. He had known it would only be a matter of time before one of them came looking for him, so he wasn't surprised to hear a light knock on his door, but he still found his mood instantly souring as he stood up and went to answer it. Toki blinked in surprise when the heavy metal door swung open and she was met with a cold glare.

"What?" Zuko snapped irritably as he crossed his arms and turned his gaze to inspect his door.

"You're late for training," Toki said with a friendly smile.

"Training is cancelled," He huffed, still intently looking anywhere but at Toshi.

"Is everything okay?" She asked with a confused frown.

"Just fine."

Zuko immediately stepped back into his room and slammed the door in her face. She flinched as the metallic bang echoed through the hallway. Toki stood there for a moment staring at the door in utter confusion before making her way back to the deck where Iroh was still waiting.

"Where is my nephew?" Iroh asked curiously when Toshi returned alone looking troubled.

"He cancelled training for today," she replied with a frown.

"How unusual," Iroh said with a furrowed brow, "I don't think my nephew has ever cancelled his training before. Something must be very wrong."

"He was acting kind of strange."

"Perhaps I should go and check on him," Iroh said as he slowly got to his feet. "I guess you're off the hook for today," he added over his shoulder as he walked away.

Toki was grateful for the break from training. For the first time in a while she was actually able to keep up with her work and actually help Ryota prepare the meals for the crew like she was supposed to. When lunch was ready she loaded up her tray and delivered Zuko and Iroh's meals to their dining room as usual. She could feel Zuko's intense gaze burning holes through her the entire time she was setting the table, but any time she would look up he would be looking anywhere but at her. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on with him, but judging by the hostility that was almost visibly radiating off of him, she wasn't sure she was willing to risk her neck to find out.

The rest of the day passed fairly smoothly, as well as the next day, and the next. Before she even realized it an entire week had passed without so much as a peep from Zuko. All of their training sessions had been cancelled and it seemed like he was going out of his way to avoid her entirely. At first she thought she was just being paranoid, worrying that it was her that had put the prince in such a foul mood lately, but the rest of the crew had found great amusement in pointing a few things out to confirm her theory. Zuko didn't seem to have a problem with anyone else on the ship, but any time she was around his attitude instantly soured. He wouldn't even talk to her, either glaring at her until she went away, or choosing to ignore her existence completely. Toki was growing irritated with Zuko's attitude. She had tried multiple times to apologize for whatever she had done to upset him, but he simply refused to even listen to her.

"Why the sour face?" Kazuki's cheerful voice broke through Toki's thoughts as he took a seat at the table across from her.

"I just don't get it," she huffed, staring at her untouched breakfast.

"Prince Zuko trouble," Kazuki sighed, stirring his bowl of porridge so it would cool down. "Why do you let that bratty prince get to you?"

"I don't," she said, looking up at him with a frown. "I'm just sick of being treated like dirt for no reason."

"Right," Kazuki mumbled before taking a bite of his food. He watched Toshi stand up from across the table, then looked at his untouched bowl with a frown. "Skipping breakfast?"

Toki hesitated and stared at Kazuki for a moment. "I'm just not hungry," she mumbled then walked away. She set her bowl on the counter, ignoring Kazuki's curious gaze as she left the dining hall and made her way to the laundry room to start on her daily chores.

Once the laundry was clean and hanging to dry she grabbed Zuko's and Iroh's clean clothes from the day before that still needed to be put away. When she knocked on Iroh's door she wasn't surprised when there was no answer. Iroh usually spent his days playing Pai Sho with the off duty crew members. She let herself inside and put his clothes away in their proper places then reluctantly made her way to Zuko's room. She tried to drag out her walk as much as possible, but considering it was only a few feet down the hallway, it wasn't nearly long enough. She decided to just get it over with and knocked lightly on the door, silently praying that he wouldn't be in there.

"Come in," Zuko's voice called calmly through the thick metal, catching Toki off guard. "What do you want?" He asked motonously as she stepped inside the room. He was sitting in front of a small meditation table in the corner of the room, a row of candles lined across the table top. Toki watched in awe as each of the candle's flames rose and fell in time with Zuko's every breath.

"I have your clean laundry Prince Zuko," she said softly, afraid to disturb his rare moment of peace.

"Just put them away," he replied, then took another deep breath.

Toki stepped lightly across the room to the wardrobe, determined to do her job as quietly as possible so she wouldn't disturb Zuko. The last thing she wanted to do was give him any more reasons to hate her.

"Good evening nephew," Iroh's cheerful voice broke the silence as he walked into the room.

"Uncle, the only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have news about the Avatar," Zuko said calmly.

"Well, there is news Prince Zuko, but you might not like it," Iroh replied, shifting into a more serious tone. "Don't get too upset."

Toki frowned nervously as she tried to hang Zuko's laundry even faster. She didn't know what this bad news was, but she was smart enough to know that she probably didn't want to be around when he found out.

"Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now, whatever you have to say, I'm sure I can handle it."

"Okay then, we have no idea where he his," Iroh stated bluntly.

"What?" Zuko yelled as he jumped to his feet, the candles nearly exploding under the influence of his rage.

Toki yelped and ducked down as flames licked the ceiling and embers flew across the room wildly.

"You really should open a window in here," Iroh said nonchalantly as he fanned smoke and embers away from his face.

"Give me the map!" Zuko snatched the map from his uncle's hands and opened it roughly.

Once Zuko was sufficiently distracted Toki practically tossed the rest of his clothes into the wardrobe, not caring anymore whether they were properly hung or not. She was not willing to risk her life so that jerk's clothes wouldn't have wrinkles.

"There have been multiple sightings of the Avatar, but he is impossible to track down," Iroh sighed.

Toki peeked curiously over Zuko's shoulder as she was walking by, the map in the Prince's hand was marked with a dotted line that seemed to zig zag aimlessly.

"How am I going to find him Uncle?" Zuko asked helplessly. "He is clearly a master of evasive manuvering."

"He's heading north," Toki mumbled under her breath, rubbing her chin in thought as she tried to figure out the pattern between all of the seemingly random sightings marked on the map.

"Who asked you?" Zuko spat angrily, snatching the map away and quickly rolling it back up.

"He does have a point though," Iroh said, rubbing his beard in thought. "Perhaps we should hear what Toshi has to say?"

"I don't care what he has to say."

"Look, I didn't mean to step on any toes here," Toki sighed, regretting ever saying anything. "I was just saying that from the looks of that map, the guy is clearly heading north, or at the very least he's wandering around completely lost. I don't think there's any kind of strategy behind it at all."

Zuko narrowed his eyes at Toshi in a dangerous glare. He was irritated that the little peasant had been spying over his shoulder, and even more irritated that he had felt the need to insert his opinion into his conversation with his Uncle. And perhaps most irritating of all was the way Toshi fearlessly held his gaze, completely unfazed by Zuko's attempt to intimidate him. He didn't understand what it was about this peasant boy that caused him to become so flustered but his anger was reaching a boiling point.

Iroh suddenly burst into laughter, snapping the two teens out of their staring contest. Toshi turned to him with a confused look that quickly turned into an amused smile while Zuko frowned in annoyance.

"What's so funny?" He snapped.

"It is good to see you two are getting along again," Iroh said with a large smile, "I was beginning to worry."

"Oh yes, we're best buddies," Toki said sarcastically as Zuko turned back to her with an irritated scowl.

"Don't you have something you should be doing?"

"Don't you have an avatar to find?" She replied with an eye roll. "If he even really exists."

"He does exist!" Zuko replied defensively.

"Really?" Toki replied with a teasing smile, "because I still haven't seen any proof."

"I told you I would prove it to you! I'm going to capture him and bring him to my father, then you'll see!"

"Whatever you say," Toki shrugged dismissively and started for the door.

Zuko watched Toshi leave the room with a grumpy frown. He would show that irritating peasant that the avatar was really alive. He couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he finally proved him wrong. Once Toshi was gone he turned to his uncle who was watching him with a mischievous smile.

"What?" Zuko snapped, crossing his arms.

"I didn't say anything," Iroh shrugged, holding back laughter as he also left the room.

Toki smiled to herself as she pulled the screaming tea pot from the fire. After her chat with Zuko she had spent her day doing her work and helping Ryota in the kitchen. They had been able to stop on some tiny island earlier in the day for some fresh supplies, so Ryota was preparing a nice dinner of roasted fish. Toki's stomach growled as she piled the plates of food onto the serving tray alongside Iroh's tea.

"Toshi," Ryota called as Toki was carrying the heavy tray out the door.

"Yes?"

"Don't forget to tell them the news I heard about the Avatar."

"Right," she muttered, pushing her way through the door and heading over to the royal's private dining room.

"Toshi, I'm so glad to see you!" Iroh said, rubbing his belly as it growled loudly at the sight of the food.

Toki chuckled and made quick work of setting the table. "So, I have some interesting news from Ryota," she said as she poured tea into two tea cups.

"If it's another speech about how he prepared the meal and where it originated from, I'm not interested," Zuko huffed.

"No, it's-"

"Not interested!" He interrupted with a stern look.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh sighed tiredly then turned to Toshi with a smile, "I apologise for my nephew."

"Its okay," Toki said as she stood up with the empty serving tray. "I had news about the Avatar," she said, turning toward Zuko with a teasing smile, "But since the Prince is so uninterested, I'll just go now."

"Wait!" Zuko jumped to his feet and grabbed Toshi by the arm, pulling him to a halt. "What about the avatar?"

"There was a rumor going around the last port that the Avatar has been staying on Kyoshi Island," Toki said, pulling her arm out of Zuko's uncomfortably warm grip.

"He's not getting away from me this time," Zuko said with fierce determination as he stormed out of the room.

"Well, no sense letting all this wonderful food go to waste!" Iroh said seeming unfazed by his nephew's outburst. "Toshi, why don't you join me for dinner? It seems I have plenty to share!"

"Thank you," she smiled at the old man and happily took a seat at the table.

The journey to Kyoshi Island was surprisingly short. By pure luck they happened to only be a few hours away, and by mid day the next day they were quickly approaching the small island.

"We should be there in about an hour," Iroh announced, stroking his beard.

"Begin preparations at once," Zuko ordered, peering through the looking glass at the very front of the deck.

"Toshi," Lieutenant Jee called from the door leading below deck, "Head below and help the men saddle the rhinos."

"Yes sir," Toki muttered with dread. If there was one thing on the ship she truly feared it was the Komodo Rhinos. By the time Toki got below deck there were already a few other men that were already working on saddling a couple of the rhinos. With shaky hands, Toki unlatched the gate of the nearest rhino pen and carefully lead the beast out of its stable.

The saddle was an entirely different set of challenges on its own. Solid leather and adorned with metal accessories, the thing had to weigh at least a hundred pounds. Toki huffed as she struggled to even lift the saddle, wondering how in hell she was supposed to get it up onto the back of a giant rhino.

"That saddle is twice your size," one of the crewmen called from across the room.

"Let the kid build some muscle," one of the other men replied trying to hold back laughter.

"You're right, those arms of his look like twigs!" Loud laughter echoed through the room as the men watched Toshi struggling under the weight of the saddle.

"Jerks," Toki muttered as she practically drug the massive saddle toward the waiting rhino. She took a deep breath and tried to lift the saddle as high as she could, which wasn't anywhere close to high enough to get it on the rhinos back. She struggled under the weight of the saddle for a few moments before her arms finally gave out. The saddle fell to the floor with so much force that it nearly took her down with it.

"Need some help over there?" One of the men called out again before they all burst into another round of boisterous laughter.

"Will you howling hog monkeys just shut the hell up already!" Toki snapped in frustration, shooting the men a deadly glare as she struggled to lift the saddle once again.

Zuko could hear the men laughing from all the way down the hall as he approached the rhino stables. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he was surprised to hear Toshi's voice break through the loud laughter. He sounded angry and Zuko was surprised. He didn't think he had ever heard Toshi raise his voice at anyone the entire time he had been on the ship.

"What is going on in here?" Zuko yelled as he stepped into the room.

"Prince Zuko," the crewmen said, instantly going quiet as Zuko walked further into the room noticing what the commotion was about.

Only one rhino was left not yet ready for departure. Zuko eyed Toshi as he completely ignored his entrance and continued struggling to lift the large saddle onto the rhino's back. Zuko rolled his eyes at the pathetic sight before walking over and grabbing the saddle from Toshi's hands.

"Move," he said, pushing Toshi aside as he effortlessly swung the saddle up over the rhino's back.

Toki blinked in surprise as she watched Zuko fasten the straps around the rhino's belly. She had to admit she was impressed, Zuko was a lot stronger than he looked. When he was done with the saddle he turned to her with a deadpan expression.

"What?" She asked with a frown.

"Useless peasant," Zuko replied with an eye roll then expertly mounted the rhino. The other crewmen followed his lead and mounted their rhinos as well, moving into formation behind Zuko.

Toki took a few steps back as she watched Zuko lead his men down the ramp and toward the village. Once they were on their way she went back up on deck and stood next to Iroh who was watching Zuko and his men charge into the small village. She could barely make out the shapes of people as the swooped down from the rooftops and attacked the prince and his men.

"Where did they come from?" She asked in awe.

"The Kyoshi Warriors truly live up to the legends," Iroh said, watching the scene unfold before them with a serious expression.

Sporadic blasts of fire lit up the town, catching all of the nearby buildings and a large statue of Avatar Kyoshi on fire. Toki frowned as she watched the flames quickly consuming a few of the buildings. Zuko and his men were on the verge of nearly destroying the entire town for the sake of some stupid mission for an imaginary avatar, simply because he refused to accept that he had died over a century ago. Suddenly a large shape in the sky caught Toki's attention and she gasped in shock. A huge fluffy bison was flying away from the village. Flying. She thought she was losing her mind for a moment, unsure of how it could be possible. As the bison flew over the water a small shape fell from its back and hit the water with a splash.

"Prince Zuko is returning," Iroh said sounding relieved. "Shall we go meet him below deck?"

"Sure," Toki said, tearing her eyes away from the flying bison and following Iroh. Prince Zuko and his men were just riding back up the ramp when she and Iroh had arrived.

"So how did it go?" Iroh asked optimistically.

"He escaped AGAIN!" Zuko snarled as he dismounted the rhino, his wet boots making a loud squish sound when they hit the floor.

"Woah, what happened to you?" Toki asked eying the prince and his men who were all drenched. "Did it suddenly start raining?"

"Why don't you just mind your own business!" Zuko yelled, stomping across the room. "Why are you even here?" He demanded, stopping only inches away from Toshi as he glared down his nose at the peasant boy who always seemed to get under his skin without even trying. "Don't you have work you should be doing?"

"I asked him to come Prince Zuko," Iroh said, grabbing his nephews shoulder and pulling him back a step.

"What is your problem?" Toki snapped in frustration. She was growing tired of Zuko's turbulent mood swings and how he always seemed to have a problem with her for absolutely no reason.

Zuko's eyes widened as Toshi took a quick step forward and fixed him with a surprisingly fierce glare. "Why do you hate me so much?" He asked accusingly, leaning forward so he was only inches away from the prince's face. "What did I ever do to you?" Zuko felt like he couldn't breathe as his mind instantly flashed back to those blasphemous thoughts from that night on deck. He quickly backed away from Toshi like he was a diseased animal and stormed out of the room before anyone could notice his embarrassed blush.

Toki stared at the spot where the Prince had been standing with an irritated scowl on her face. She didn't understand what had just happened, and she didn't understand why he seemed to have such a problem with her. She released a heavy sigh and decided it didn't matter. She wouldn't be on this ship much longer anyway, it was only a matter of time before they finally reached the mainland, then she could finally leave this stupid ship and the cranky Prince behind for good.

"Follow the Avatar!" Zuko commanded the helmsman as soon as he stepped through the door. "We can't afford to lose his trail."

"Yes sir," the helmsman replied obediently.

"Prince Zuko, could I have a word with you?" Iroh asked as he trailed into the room after Zuko.

"Not now uncle," Zuko replied, uninterested in whatever his uncle had to say.

"I'm afraid I must insist," Iroh persisted, "you are soaked to the bone. If you don't get changed soon, you could get sick."

"Fine!" Zuko gave in and made his way to his bedroom, fully aware that his uncle was following him every step of the way.

As soon as the two stepped inside the room Zuko shut the door and turned to his uncle with an expectant look, "what is it?"

"You should change clothes first."

"I'm fine," Zuko said impatiently, "just get on with it already."

"Alright, what happened below deck just now?" He asked bluntly.

Zuko's brow furrowed in confusion, "what do you mean?"

"With Toshi," Iroh stated. "I haven't seen you run away from someone so quickly since that time Azula's little friend tried to kiss you by the turtle duck pond," Iroh said with a sly smile as his nephew's face instantly paled.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zuko asked, his cheeks turning bright pink.

"I was just curious if there is something going on that I should know about."

"What!?"

"I have noticed the way you act around him, and how you stare at him all the time Prince Zuko," Iroh said as he rested a hand on his nephew's shoulder supportively. "I am not here to judge you."

"UNCLE!" Zuko yelped as he pulled away from his uncle, face burning in embarrassment.

"I just wanted you to know that you can talk to me about anything," Iroh said with a warm smile.

"JUST STOP!" Zuko snapped. "You're insane. That peasant is nothing but an irritating pest who has done nothing but get in my way since the moment he stepped foot on this ship!"

"Is that so?" Iroh said, stroking his beard in thought. He was no fool, despite what his nephew might think. Zuko could try to deny it all he wanted, but Iroh knew what he had seen below deck and he was determined to help his nephew in any way he could. "Well, if that's all it is, then surely you won't mind if I ask Toshi to bring you some dry clothes to change into!"

"What?" Zuko yelped as Iroh stood and quickly walked out of the room. "Wait Uncle!" Zuko called out, but it was no use, his uncle was already gone. He groaned and rubbed his forehead as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened. His uncle had figured it out, and was now on another mission, one far worse than the previous one to simply find him a friend. Zuko was completely mortified. He had to figure out a way out of this situation as quickly as possible.


End file.
